“When life knocks you down, art picks you up.”
About the attitude toward life that great painters teach us

Wassily Kandinsky, who decided to become a painter after leaving behind the stable path of an elite lawyer; Jackson Pollock, who lived his entire life on tranquilizers and insomnia medication due to anxiety; Paul Cézanne, who became a painter despite his family's opposition but only became known to the world when he was over 50; Alphonse Moia, who endured a long period of obscurity with his characteristic sincerity...
They have something in common.
The point is that he used anxious and lonely days as material to create a great work.

Lee Won-yul, a Herald Economy reporter and art storyteller who has been writing about the lives of artists for over a decade, introduces 18 artists and their works that give strength to life through his new work, "Paintings to See at Forty."
When you feel like you've worked hard but haven't achieved anything, when you feel like it's too late to start something, when you're tired of relationships that aren't going your way, if you look into the lives of the artists he introduces, when you close this book, you'll embrace life with a little more dignity.

I thought I would become detached when I turned forty.
I always believed that I would be a dignified person who would not be shaken by anything.
But now I know.
There is still a tender child curled up in one corner of my heart, and next to him, there is a young man who is still clumsy at everything in the world.
When I feel disappointed with the ways of life, I often find comfort in art.

Is it because I have been tracing the lives of great painters for over ten years and examining the paintings they created?
At first, their lives seemed so extraordinary.
But the more I learned, the more I realized that there were many points that overlapped with my otherwise unremarkable life.
(…) I was able to realize that their works, which were a struggle to overcome the pain, suffering, and loneliness of reality, could be a window that reflected my current state and a medium that conveyed inspiration, comfort, and even hope.
---"prolog.
From "Forty, the Time in Life When Painting Is Needed"

Kandinsky, who was pursuing a career as an elite lawyer, faced an unexpected turning point in 1895, when he was in his thirties.
It was when I saw Claude Monet's painting "Haystacks".
(…) Kandinsky stood by this painting for a long time.
(…) Is it because of the dazzling light that fills the canvas?
Something deep inside my soul was burning hot.
(…) Kandinsky’s challenge was certainly reckless.
It was a choice that would only destroy the golden tower I had built up, but what would be the meaning of life if I couldn't jump into the attraction I felt for the first time in my life.
What could you possibly accomplish if you were constantly cautious and weighed the pros and cons of everything?
Kandinsky took courage and embraced his new life.
---From "The Lie That It's Too Late_Wassily Kandinsky"

What dominated Pollock was none other than 'anxiety'.
Anxiety has driven him to grow relentlessly throughout his life.
Pollock was the kind of person who, if there was no reason to be anxious, would become anxious again.
Even at the best of times, he was a man gripped by the fear that he might fall at any moment.
Although it looked rough on the outside, it was actually because he carried around painkillers, sedatives, stomach medicine, and insomnia medication.

But the flames of anxiety did not reduce everything to ashes.
He was always on edge because of the constant pressure.
I always had to try something, constantly experimenting.
Although the bone-crushing pain followed me endlessly, thanks to it, I was able to have a better day than yesterday.
For him, anxiety also served as a faithful muse for creation.
---From "What Anxiety Brought to Me_Jackson Pollock"

The results from 1908 to 1912, which is called Utrillo's 'White Period', were particularly impressive.
(…) White was the color that comforted him when he was tired.
It was also a color that gave me the strength to compromise with the world.
When he was feeling down, Witrillo would sometimes sprinkle sand and pebbles from Paris onto the white paint.
After that, I would look at the densely glittering pictures as if I was looking at the stars in the night sky.

The White Era was one of the most difficult times in his life.
It was a time when the love of Baladong, which he had longed for, bloomed for a moment like a flower and then disappeared.
But it was during this period that I was able to paint the most beautiful pictures.
He was able to use deprivation and loneliness as inspiration to create his own unique lines and colors.
It was a result that could be achieved because I was absorbed in it and did not give up my life.

---From "Strength Blooming in Weakness"